G.I. Joe Classified Series Dreadnok Buzzer review

Thanks in no small part to Larry Hama’s Real American Hero comics, I always considered Buzzer the calculating wild card of the Dreadnoks. Torch, Ripper, Monkeywrench, Thrasher, etc. were more likely to just follow Zartan’s orders, but Buzzer would occasionally test the boundaries even going on Cobra missions without his Dreadnok crew.

With Zartan and Zarana already represented in the G.I. Joe Classified Series line, it was time for some Dreadnoks to make their debut. Although Ripper is chronologically ahead of Buzzer in the numbered order, Buzzer gets the review spotlight first.

Let’s see if this Dreadnok leaves me buzzing or deserves no buzz whatsoever.

Package: I actually dig the closed window Classified Series packaging. That’s largely due to the tremendous artwork and various Easter Eggs. For Buzzer, they’re not too hard to spot. Buzzer has a drum set, guitar and a Cold Slither poster in the background. There’s also some smashed cans of grape soda — a Dreadnok staple. I love the randomness of that being their go-to drink.

Buzzer has a great drawing with his sinister grin and accessory rollout on the top white stripe.

He’s got a strong portrait with a confident/cocky smile that’s also repeated on the right side as well as the usual white stripe laying out all the accessories. The left side has the QR code of nowhere and tiny skill sets. Over on the back, we get a clearer render of Buzzer and his accessories and larger stats.

Buzzer’s stats are as followed: a 3 in bladed weapons, 2s in mercenary and science and a 1 in psyops.

You’ll have to head to Hasbro Pulse for his bio:

Buzzer was an extreme left-wing Cambridge sociology don who went to Australia to research the biker gang phenomenon only to be transformed into the very object of his research. Years of intellectual displeasure and extreme indignation at society’s two-faced morality manifested into the intense desire to chainsaw apart the expensive geegaws of technological society.

Likeness: Buzzer is typically portrayed as a little slender though not overly skinny. He’s not stocky like Ripper or Torch or as muscular as Thrasher. This mold is ideal for his physique. The CS design is mostly classic — his shirt has the ripped sleeves and he’s got the single shoulder strap harness with grenades. Buzzer’s pants still have the crouch pad with skull belt buckle.

Changed elements include gloves for both hands and his military pins have been replaced by a sheriff badge. That seems more the kind of visual gag a Dreadnok would make part of their costume.

Since Buzzer is using the Snake Eyes‘ legs, instead of the thigh pads, he’s now got two holsters, which kinda convey the look of the Real American Hero design. He’s got the standard kneepads and mid-range boots.

I like Buzzer’s head sculpt, which gives him a real skeezy look with the lopsided grin and piercing eyes. His ponytail is intact hanging at a nice length.

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Paint: Buzzer’s outfit is simple enough that Hasbro was going to have to work hard to mess it up. And with the paint job typically being terrific on this line, there was no reason to be concerned.

All the finer details like the silver badge, dog tags, belt and boot buckles and watch are sharp and cleanly applied. To continue the Cobra/Dreadnok bond, he’s got a snake coiled around a dagger tattoo. Interestingly this was included on the RAH figure, just not the card art.

The CS team continues to provide a little extra with the paintwork adding chest and forearm hair. It’s very nicely executed.

Scale: Perhaps fitting for mayhem causing agents, the Dreadnoks are scaled slightly taller than the average…Joe or Cobra. Buzzer is done on a leaner body, so there’s an illusion that he’s shorter than Ripper, but they’re basically the same height.

Articulation: Buzzer has usual excellent articulation that’s the norm with the Classified Series line. My figure has a floppy torso that I’ll need to fix. I avoided it with Firefly but couldn’t dodge it with Buzzer.

Considering Buzzer’s main weapon, the butterfly shoulders were essential in selling that carving up with a chainsaw style pose. He’s got great range in his legs for door smashing action and deeper crouching poses.

 

Buzzer has:

• head
• neck
• shoulders (butterfly)
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• mid-torso
• torso
• waist
• hips (ball-jointed)
• drop down hips
• knees (double-jointed)
• ankles

 

Accessories:  Buzzer has a decent amount of accessories.

First up are his sunglasses. His don’t stay on as nicely as some others and tend to fly off very easily. They’re either too big or the sculpt didn’t allow for them to attach onto anything like say the ones used for Ripper.

He’s got a small pistol with wraps around the handle. That’s a nice bit of personalization as Buzzer seems to be the one Dreadnok most likely to avoid leaving fingerprints. It fits in snugly onto his holster on his left leg.

Buzzer’s also got a small knife. It’s not as detailed as some others in the line but has a well-done blade. This fits into the sheath on his right leg.

Like the RAH figure, Buzzer gets his “Nunchuk axe” with a slightly coiled chain and studded axe blade at the top. This grips much better in the left hand as the right grip isn’t tight enough.

For further mayhem, Buzzer gets a bat with sawblades on either side. It’s absolutely something Frank would have used in Dead Rising (buy on Amazon).

It’s got silver wrap (duct tape?) around the base and a spiked top. I can easily see Buzzer playing Negan with this bat.

Finally, there’s his trademark weapon — his chainsaw. Mine came out warped, which kinda ruins the effect. It’s got impressive detailing with panels, knobs and gears. The blade even has some paint apps with a darker grey for the chain portion.

Buzzer can’t hold all his gear at once so he’ll have to toss the additional parts in the included storage locker.

Worth It?  Buzzer is the normal Classified figures price of $24.99. He’s got some fun accessories and smart revisions to the original design. He’s solid for that price, but Target had a sale so I grabbed him for $17.49.

Rating: 8 out of 10

I’m hopeful that my Buzzer is the exception with the torso, but the glasses are a very frustrating problem. Hopefully the Joe team can implement better glasses set ups for future figures.

Where to Get It?  You won’t find Tunnel Rat at retail these days, but you can still get him from Amazon or Entertainment Earth.

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